The golden apples
by Nocturnus
Summary: A cat and mouse game. A old myth remake. Warning: Grammar oddieties, part of the style.


**The Golden Apples.**

**Disclaimer**:

Thanks to Rowling for letting me play with her toys.

Apologies to Kavafis for this profanation of his poetry.

This plot is based on Atlanta's myth.

For more information see author's notes.

**Acknowledges:**

Thanks to Bleodswean for her patience at betaing this non native authors, and some talks about myths that get me in the path of this fic and to Shiv for a quick last time paragraph check.

**Warning**:

Severe sexual stereotype!

**I**

In the old castle, without joy, shadows and light pass without notice.

They have won, is true, but so many have died.

Victory has the sour taste of defeat:

"_Valiant are you who fought and fell gloriously"_

Funeral services is all what is left.

They are young, but life has left their souls, their vacant eyes are the one of old men, no young should ever look like this. What would wake them?

In the old castle, without joy, there is a woman that has blossomed.

Very young. Just waiting the next two or three months to pass so she could start living.

An urge to leave Hogwarts go through her veins. She want to amend her last name to Natussum. Her father never tell, but she knew he would had liked her to be a boy.

Her path, from child to woman, has not go unnoticed.

She has a strange kind of exquisiteness: wild, untamed, always beautiful, her brown hair bright and sensuous, even when uncombed, and it falls, slightly, over her white forehead.

She is no beauty by society and culture's standard, thousands has exceed her in this arena, but she is different as innocence could be.

Flesh has not tempt her yet.

She works hard to grow virtuously into wisdom.

Is this careless attitude towards men that aroused them.

The visions of her eroticism haunted the boys' nights. She, who hopes to grow in spirit, has incarnate voluptuousness, dreams half real, wheeling in the brain of Hogwarts youth.

- "_I had no time for senseless fluffiness_" she once say, dismissing them.

If truth must be told, she don't want them in her life. All she want is to be free, to explore the labyrinth of mind, and spirit.

- "_There is so much work to be done_" she says, "_An entire society to re build_". As friends come, she have precious ones.

But she has a secret (everybody needs one).

An undisclosed place in which she don't restrain her self. She try to guard it like a secret chamber. Every night, when Hogwarts sleeps, she who always knows the proper ways, drinks the potent wines of freedom.

Transforming her self into wildness, she run through the forest, forbidden for everyone except her.

The creatures in it accept her as a peer. They recognize her free soul, the rebellious for every form of enslavement.

Have the gods been alive, Diana would have been proud.

II.

- "_Brain, work now as well as you can_" she mumble to herself .

Despising the attentions of lustful young men, Hermione was annoyed with the continue distractions that those were causing her, so she make a plan. Something that could dishearten them for any attempt of approaching her.

In an old parchment, with precious calligraphy she wrote the enchanted words:

Sorcery, sorcery, (What to do?), What becomes a morning in which you see dawn and

life is yet one long walk ?

What to do?, what to do? perhaps breathe and with your swallow of water stand up and walk

Sorcery, sorcery (What to do?), what if desire intoxicates you

Sorceries that you knew, sorceries to do, every day is your song

That one becomes (What to do?), perhaps decide and in a

desperate race the passion can consume you. If you reach me I

am yours, if I win you will lose the sorcery that is you

- "_I dare you to beat me in a race through the Forbidden forest", _she told them_, "I will belong to the one who is faster than me; but he who lost the race would lose his magic too_".

She truly think it would be enough. Hermione was sure such a hard dare would bring down even the most resolute ones.

The girl was wrong, once again Hermione realized she knows nothing about passion. Their youthfulness can't bear more loneliness, they need hope, even if that was through fantasy, through hallucination of two soft and red thick lips. They long to find joy again.

Soon she was challenged by many men, some came from far away, others were just next door; all of them lose their magic.

The young woman couldn't feel sorry for them, "_What a cheap soul you must have_" was the only thought that pass through her mind every time their magic was taken away. (Hermione might confess to herself she felt guilty about not feeling guilt).

**III.**

One afternoon, he whose lips has harden to sweet words, stop to see the race.

(Severus has never been one for tenderness, his lexis is crude, but no one knows how tender his dreams are. He try to hold them, when they are roused in his mind at night, or in the noon glare).

When he became aware of the terms of the challenge Severus mumble: _"No one deserved to take such a risk only for a woman_!", he snarl "_Who does she think she is?", "Only a dunderhead could want her, Knocturn Alley is always open for sexual pleasures_"

But then, when Hermione pass by, Severus saw her as he never has. Free, feral, sure of her triumph. She not only run a race, she embrace future with trust and anticipation. He understood then, the nature of her shines, it wasn't the sun that glow in her hair but her aura.

_- "So much I gazed on beauty, that my vision is replete with it"._ The Greek poet open his way through the confines of the man mind. All he could think now was on the face of love. _  
_

- "_I asked for your forgiveness_" he said to a defeated Ravenclaw that was on his way of being strip off his magic "_I didn't understand before she was worth the cost_"

When the fairies were flying around Hermione throwing petals to her, celebrating female triumph, Severus makes his way through the multitude of students

- "_Why do you choose such weak_ children?" He ask her defiantly. "_Why not a man?, If I win you wont be humiliated, I'm older and powerful, the blood of Merlin run through my veins_"

- "_What if I win?_" She look straight into his eyes.

- "_If you win....then, surely you will have something to boast about!_"

When she looks at him again, dark, proud, intense, she ask herself why the fates would want such a man to find the end of his magic. For the very first time, she felt maybe it would be better to lose.

Naïf as she was in love issues, Hermione didn't realize she has start to fall for him.

_- "Leave professor, I'm not worth your magic"_ – she whisper softly

The mass of students cheer for the professor, enticing him to accept the dare. (Surely wanting to get rid of him).

He asked about the contest trail and when will they participate , his voice choking, almost silenced by desire.

And the answer came back in the same mood, distracted, the voice hushed,

offering hidden consent.

**IV.**

Everyone roar as the two contenders prepare them selves to run.

A cloudless sky and a silver lake shore, what an unusual brilliant blue Scottish evening!.

Barefoot, Hermione felt the dampness of the green grass. Severus scent, sandalwood and orange, came to tempt her. She wonder if they ever been that close before.

She urge herself to concentrate in the task before her, not sure what her heart want.

Hidden inside his robes, the man kept three golden apples, ready to used them when necessary. (At dawn Severus walked into the tarn invocating the Lady of the Lake, as a Merlin descendant she was bound to him. A school of mermaids follow her, in the lady's hands was a green cloth with the three golden apples. She give them to Severus, indicating to him how to defeat Hermione).

Feeling them, round, hard and close to him, make him felt secure.

When horns echoed through the valley they both start running, all doubts swept aside. They run so hastily that their feet barely touch the ground below them. No footprints were left, so much was their speed.

The crowd cheer for Severus, students who only yesterday were eager to see him defeated, now felt he was their only hope. He must be the victor.

Hermione has challenge men in a wizard's world, therefore she present a threat to male order. It was Severus turn to show who got the supremacy. He must tame her, save wizard's pride.

Most girls hoped for his victory too, Hermione was an outcast, with her ways she shamed them all. It was fine to defeat mere ephebes, but now, this was a game no more. This must stop!

- "_A girl by the outside, but an inner man" _comment a pretentious Mss. Parkinson.

Severus wonder how he got in this maddening situation.

He's never loved before with this degree of passion.

Hermione hurried and pass Severus, knowing she was ahead, pretend to keep her pace.

When he start to feel exhausted, breathing being hard, blood pounding, Severus take from his robes one of the golden apples and throw it next to the young woman.

The bright shiny apple roll on the ground next to Hermione, she – always the curious – stop to pick it up, getting parted from her way for a while, Severus took the opportunity to lead the race. People cry with joy, but once the girl pick the fruit she promptly surpass the man.

Discouraged by how slowly he's going, (exhausted from running) Severus throw the second apple. She knew what the precious object was, unfamiliar thoughts  
broke in on her heart, unsatisfied desire, longing for the sensuous feeling of her fingers running through it. Hermione part her self from the path and retrieves the second apple. Soon, however, without much effort, she best the cunning man again.

Images of the sun casting light over his beautiful body run through Hermione's eyes. What a sensual face.She can't avoidthinking of that lovely body which seemed as though Eros in his mastery had fashioned it, joyfully shaping its well-formed limbs, molding its tall build, shaping its face with rough force, and leaving, with a touch of the fingers, a particular impression on the brow, the eyes, the lips.

_- "Was she day dreaming_?"

When Severus take the third apple he realized it was his last opportunity. Taking what little energy he has left, he begin swinging his arm before releasing the golden fruit.

Seeing the enchanted apple fly through the air, Hermione decided not to run for it. But at the moment she make that decision , the Lady of the Lake touch her heart. She never felt in such a intense way for anything, it was as if a force drew her to the apple.

She detour to take the fruit she greedily yearn for, and Severus reach the final line.

**IV.**

Both, hunter and hunted, with their backs curved, hands on the knees, breathing hard.

They stare at each other, oblivious to the cheering mass.

Perspiration running hot down their faces, hearts pounding by the effort, or was it anticipation?.

She smiles slowly, looking at him again (she can barely belive it).

The conformists called this a sin.

The respectable ones, the dry ones, those honorable women who never give themselves over to the power of love.

How could they understand this way of feeling with each cell , this skin, this miracle of need burning in his eyes?

Minerva came irately, pushing students aside, interrupting the lovers march to the woods.

Few things escape Minerva's eagle eye, contrary to common believe, she is the one who ruled the castle.

She has worked hard, Hermione was her master composition. She has promoted her sisterly friendship with the boys, created a big tower of books around her, and guided her mind into the labyrinth of knowledge.

Hermione will reproduce her life and prove its worth. Love was a distraction they could not afford. Minerva reasoned that she never needed it.

The older woman's life: always at war, Grindlewald, Voldemort, and worshipping Albus in between; seeing Hermione imitate her life calmed this sense of emptiness

Fury shade her intellect, Gryffindors are brave in love and hate, thinking the unthinkable she cast the curse.

Green waves encircle the couple. They hold hands in a vain attempt to shield themselves .

The Lady of the Lake, true to her bond, alters the malediction; transforming the two fated lovers into golden-haired lions.

They understood, no words were necessary. Severus and Hermione, will be wild like the forbidden beasts during the light of day. At night, they would resume their human nature.

Casting one last look to the old castle, souls full of joy, they dash into the forest.

It was close to four in the morning, when happy, they gave themselves to love.

Fin.

Authors notes.

Want to read the original Atalanta challenges men in a man's world and therefore presents a threat to the male order, but she is also the object of male desire and subject to male influence and dominance . 

There are lots of phrases taking from Kavafis poetry, among others poems:

"Those who fought for the Achaean League"

"So much I gazed"

"Two Young Men, 23 to 24 years old".

"At the cafe door"

"So much I gazed"

"The Photograph"

"A Young Poet in his Twenty-Fourth Year" 

"Growing in Spirit"

Want to read them? 

Hermione Natussum would be something alike born by Hermione, she want to be daughter of herself.

The spell is based on Silvio Rodriguez song "Sortilegio" Want to hear him? 


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